Mid-Season Report Card: Chase Headley

By -
Grade: C-

As we continue to grade the Yankee players’ seasons at the halfway point, it is Chase Headley’s turn to be analyzed. Headley is currently in the midst of his third full season in the Bronx, which would make it his third consecutive mediocre season as the Yankees’ third baseman. After a scorching hot April, Headley’s dreadful play in May made him an extreme liability in the batting order. With Gleyber Torres’ injury, Headley has been given more time to try to finally prove to the Yankees that he was worth the 52-million-dollar contract that he signed prior to 2015.
Photo Credit: Sportsnet

First Half Performance:
Chase Headley silenced all of his former critics at the beginning of the season. In the month of April, Headley had an OBP of .402, and along with Aaron Judge and Starlin Castro, he helped carry a Yankee offense that was missing Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez. Everyone thought this could be Headley’s breakout season in the Bronx, after never putting up numbers like his 2012 season in San Diego.

The turn of the calendar was also the downward spiral of Headley’s season. He walked three times as little as he did in April, and his batting average was .140 points lower than it was in April. His struggles became so apparent that Joe Girardi sat Headley so he could “clear his head.” This method was unsuccessful as he continued to hit at a .446 OPS, which is lower than what Aaron Judge’s OBP alone has been for most of the season. Rumors circulated that a certain minor leaguer would take his job, but he unfortunately suffered a season ending injury that required Tommy John.
Photo Credit: The Runner
June was once again another story as Headley has hit close to .300 and has increased his walk rate back to where it was in April. However, his power numbers are extremely down and his SLG currently sits at a measly .365. He has hit only four home runs, three of which were in April, at the season’s halfway point.

 Second Half Expectations:

Miguel Andujar’s solid Major League debut showed the Yankees that there is a quality replacement within their organization, if Chase Headley fails to produce. With the pressure on him to perform, Headley will need to continue to hit for a good average to compensate for his career worst power numbers that he is currently displaying.

Headley’s biggest issue is his inability to hit southpaws. Headley is a switch hitter, and when he is on the right side, he becomes as close to an automatic out as it gets. Headley is slashing .184/.215/.263 against left handed pitchers. This split severely drags down Headley’s stats, and he needs to improve his right-handed swing or abandon it, if he wants to remain an everyday third baseman. If Headley fails to hit against lefties, expect Andujar or Torreyes to see more starts at the hot corner.

Conclusion:


Headley’s above average months of April and June are not reflected in his season statistics, due to his dreadful May. Headley’s inconsistency makes him extremely unpredictable, and fans are starting to get restless with their third baseman. With Torres out, Headley’s job is safer than it was a month ago, but with the Yankees’ dedication to getting younger, it would not be surprising to see Headley receive less and less at-bats against lefties and eventually possibly end up in a platoon-like situation. A grade of a C- may seem a little harsh for a player that had just one bad month, but it was reminiscent of his April in 2016 as his numbers were hurting his team way more than contributing to it for a large portion of the season.

 Article by: Ryan Thoms
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Yankees' next big fish: The Bryce Harper and Manny Machado question

By -
Image
The scene was set for the young budding Bomber squad last fall after finishing their season a game away from a World Series berth. They were the team that arrived a year too early, and another deep playoff run would be the goal, but then an old friend threw a wrench in those plans. Derek Jeter put gargantuan slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the market, and Stanton dictated his transfer with a full no-trade clause. The Giants and Cardinals among others threw their name into the ring, but who did he choose? The Yankees and Dodgers, it seemed to be a battle of baseballs powerhouses, but the Yankees had an advantage over their former neighbors, payroll flexibility. They were able to use this into an absolute steal of the reigning NL MVP, and the Yankees were thrust into a world series or bust year. The season was historic, they set the season home run record without Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge for most if not all of the year, but it ended in a bust at the hands of…
Read more

Are the Yankees truly a Death Star? A Yankees’ Corey Kluber trade scenario that reopens the idea of adding Manny Machado

By -
Image
News broke today from Padres’ reporter Dennis Lin of the Athletic that the San Diego Padres are interested in acquiring Indians’ RHP Corey Kluber. This makes sense as the Padres have a plethora of young talent to deal, but also a strong core of players they can build around. However, there is a twist. The report of the Padres’ interest also included that the Padres would be interested in flipping him for a third baseman to anchor their infield. Kluber would instantly help the Friars, but with his window of solid years left closing, the match is not perfect.
Read more

Three things the Yankees need to acquire in the offseason that aren’t Manny Machado

By -
Image
The speculation started during the regular season, even prior to his trade from the Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Where would Manny Machado go upon his free agency at the end of the 2018 regular season? And, with that, which teams would be knocking on his door?
No sooner did the Yankees’ regular season come to a close after their fated ending in the American League Division Series, the talks of Machado coming to the Bronx took off as though pushed by a speeding 4 Train behind Yankee Stadium. The truth of the matter is that the rumors started even prior to Machado’s free agency being on the horizon -- they started at the trade deadline.

Read more